Alta Badia ski resort in the South Tyrol region of Italy is at the heart of the Dolomiti Superski area, with direct access to the famous Sella Ronda ski circuit. Great for beginners and intermediates, Alta Badia is also renowned for its food and wine, hosting three Michelin-starred restaurants.

Overview

Alta Badia ski resort lies at the north-eastern corner of the Sella Ronda ski circuit in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Dolomites mountain range in the South Tyrol region of Italy. The resort comprises six villages, the biggest of which are Corvara, San Cassiano and La Villa. It has 130km of runs of its own, mostly easy and intermediate, but as part of the lift-linked Dolomiti Superski area, Alta Badia also has access to 1,200km of runs in 12 ski domains.

Ski area

Much of Alta Badia's skiing is on an undulating plateau accessed from the villages below, and only the runs back down offer much of a test for good skiers. The plateau itself is criss-crossed by a network of mostly blue and red runs, offering very relaxed, leisurely skiing for beginners, families and intermediates. Here, the emphasis is very much on enjoying the breathtaking scenery, soaking up the sunshine and lingering over the astonishingly good food. Experts will find one black run here - the Gran Risa World Cup descent to La Villa - and will need to visit the outer edges of Alta Badia to find more challenging terrain. The must-do expert runs are the Val Mezdi descent from the Rifugio Boe - an off-piste ski-touring route that offers a vertical drop of 1,450m with a very steep start - the Vallon black run and the Mt Lagazuoi descent. This one involves a taxi ride from Armentarola, near San Cassiano, to the Falzarego Pass to get the cable car up to the summit of Mt Lagazuoi from where the 7.2km descent takes you past ice waterfalls and rounds off with a horse tow back to Armentarola and civilisation.

Alta Badia's altitude and very low air humidity ensures plenty of lovely powdery snow, and its pistes are mostly wide and well-groomed, making it a very safe area for families. Getting onto the Sella Ronda is easiest from Corvara, as the ski circuit passes right through it, and you can happily ski off in either well-signposted direction. Alta Badia is also a great base for a longer stay, as with the Dolomiti Superski pass you can explore more than enough terrain to suit every level from novice to expert.

Off the slopes and apres-ski

Alta Badia is foodie heaven. As well as its three Michelin-starred restaurants - St Hubertus and La Siriola in San Cassiano, and La Stua de Michil in Corvara - it is the home of slope food, a mountain version of street food, with finger-food snacks created by Michelin-starred chefs in 14 of Alta Badia's 40 mountain huts. The resort also offers several gourmet ski tours and a wine safari. when it comes to apres, you can get the party started on the mountain at the Utia Club Moritzino before descending back to the villages. Corvara is the best bet, with the Murin bar at the Hotel La Perla and the Taverna at the Posta Zirm, but all the villages have plenty of great bars, restaurants and cafes - this is Italy, after all, and they take this stuff seriously!

Families

Younger children will love the sledging, ice skating and sleigh rides, and the local tourist office organises weekly open-air events with ski shows, horse sleigh races, music and fireworks. As well as Alta Badia's snowpark, which is by the Ciampai slope, there is a boardercross course in San Cassiano.